At least 9 dead, 32 injured in Chicago Easter weekend shootings

Nine people have been killed and a further 32 injured in weekend shootings in Chicago which started on Friday afternoon and lasted until Monday morning. Five of the injured are children.

The kids were victims of a drive-by shooting in the city’s
southern Park Manor district. A group opened fire from a car.
“I thought it was firecrackers but I saw everyone
running,” eyewitness Kimyana Bryant told NBC Chicago.

“My mom ran over to us. I was trying to get all the kids from
the park. I brought them over here so they could be in the house
with us.”

However, police did not confirm the witness’ claims.

Hospital authorities and two separate institutions reported that
an 11-year-old was in a critical condition, and another girl was
seriously injured. Two other teenage girls and a boy were listed
as being in a stable condition.

A further shooting took place at an Easter party in a western
Chicago suburb and another in the central Humboldt Park
neighborhood. “The kids should be able to come into their
community without worrying about violence. It needs to
stop,” witness Christiana Sanders told NBC Chicago.

At least nine deaths resulted from shootings which took place
across the city. One double homicide involved two teenagers - a
16-year-old and an 18-year-old – who had apparently been involved
in a Facebook-based spat. Both suffered gunshots to the head.

Two of the deaths took place on Sunday morning. A Cook Country
correctional officer shot his wife – who was a police officer
herself - to death inside their home, before he committed
suicide, according to authorities.

Two further people died in a car chase after a shooting in the
West Side’s Little Village neighborhood. A 33 year old died
immediately at the scene while a 19-year-old died from his
injuries in hospital, according to police and fire officials. The
Chicago Tribune reported that police believed the culprit was the
occupant of an orange or yellow Hummer, which fled the scene of
the crime shortly after the shooting.

A subsequent report stated that a car of the same description was
on fire in a nearby alley. It was believed to have belonged to a
relative of one of the victims.

Other deaths involved a 43 year old man who suffered multiple
gunshot wounds. His body was recovered from an alley on West
Flournoy Street, just west of the center.

A 19 year old and a 20 year old were also shot dead, one on
Friday and one on Saturday.

Nobody has been taken into custody for any of the shootings
according to police.

Since the beginning of the year, 288 people have been the victims
of shootings in Chicago. In 2013, more than 2,100 were involved
in shootings.